Two Australian property executives detained for years in Dubai fell out in a row over another Australian businessman's alleged involvement in the contentious $14 million property deal which landed them in jail, the ABC has learned.

Marcus Lee and Matt Joyce, who once shared a single bunk in the crowded confines of a jail in the Gulf state, have not spoken since 2010.

It is believed the falling out began following Mr Joyce's revelation to Mr Lee while in prison that he was friends with businessman Angus Reed.

Mr Reed's company Prudentia was paid $14 million by Australian property developer Sunland for the development rights on a prime piece of Dubai land, in a deal that saw all three men charged with fraud by local authorities.

Mr Joyce and Mr Lee were jailed for months awaiting charge and then spent close to five years stuck in Dubai fighting the case.

At one stage Mr Joyce was convicted, sentenced to 10 years' jail and fined $25 million, before charges against both men were finally thrown out and they were free to return to Australia.

Mr Reed had left the country before authorities struck, and was tried and convicted in absentia.

All three men have denied any wrongdoing in a deal Sunland has contended saw it pay $14 million for a non-existent right over the parcel of land known as D17.

Tonight's Foreign Correspondent program examines the deal in closer detail and exposes an email trail that raises serious questions about the transaction.

The program concludes its investigation of Dubai's tortuous criminal justice system and the serious traps it holds for unsuspecting visitors, who now include many more Australians due to Qantas's route deal with Dubai's Emirates airline.

"I know people laugh, 'Oh look, you can get thrown in jail for kissing or something like that' and think it's all a myth, but it happens," Mr Lee said.

"It really does happen. One of the guys when I was in jail, he was in there because he was transiting through Dubai Airport with a breast cancer awareness t-shirt, and it had a silhouette of a female.

"Somebody took offence and he was in jail. I was in there with him, so I've seen this."

Lengthy delays in court system

Once charged, Mr Lee estimates he faced more than 50 scheduled court hearings, many of which failed to proceed because witnesses, lawyers and even judges did not turn up.

"They have an ability here to just delay and delay and delay and delay," Mr Lee said.

"We'd have a court hearing, a court date once a month, and it'd just get held over to the next month and to the next month and to the next month."

Mr Lee and his wife Julie lost all they had fighting the charges, including the family home in Australia. During their time trapped in Dubai, Mr Lee's grandmother and step-father died, but he was not allowed to leave to attend their funerals.

The Lees were also extorted by a man from the Emirates who had been appointed by the court to guarantee the pair would stay in the country.

They had to pay the man for the responsibility of ensuring they would not try to flee, but soon he was illegally demanding tens of thousands of dollars more, threatening to revoke his guarantee and send Mr Lee back to prison.

The Lees estimate they paid him $60,000 over time.

"Our lawyer raised it with the judge at one point and it was quite strange," Mr Lee said.

"The judge thought it was quite funny, either in disbelief, or maybe he did find it funny."